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Last week I was in New York City visiting my daughter Bridget and her husband Rudy and their dog Rocky who is a breed known as a 'Morkie," a cross between a Maltese and a Yorkshire terrier. An agressively loving dog who demands and gets as much petting and belly rubbing as he can out of everyone in the room. So here I enter, an alpha grandpa who has no intention of giving up my status as king of the pack while looking at a determined twenty pound living mass of "I am here to be adored and pandered to in every way as royalty needs to be so honored." Well we struck a bargin that made the relationship more two sided than the pooch would have wanted. Let's just say that Rocky got his belly rubbed and I got my space for a few minutes here and there.
The dog is in truth lovable and almost as good looking as I am. I did enjoy his company and the war of "You will pet me continually!" became a pact of peace where "I will give you a treat, a pet, and you will take a nap or bother someone else." This dog is also a vegetarian, eats carrots, the favorite treat!"
Mr. Rocky Medina of Forest Hills, Borough of Queens, New York City
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Bridget and myself for the early part of the week played the role of tourist even though between us we have around seventy five years of living in New York City. On Tuesday we went to the Central Park Zoo after a walk up Fifth Avenue dodging the tourists and the always in a rush New Yorkers. At the Zoo I found the most relaxed and serene New Yorker, one of the seals taking a nap and digesting lunch.
Equinimity in action - so to speak
Fifth Avenue and Fifty Third Street subway station -
Taken during a non rush hour moment
The hand on the upper right is saying,
"Stop smiling!"
A rare looking person on the streets of NYC
At the Zoo with expressions ranging from bored to happy.
She listened to her mother when told to go play in traffic.
Fall trees are forever in the forground of buildings,
yet they will always manage to live by their own clock
even in a twenty four hour city.
A sign outside a voting place in one of the most diverse cities in the world.
English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Philippine.
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Mostly photos today and more of New York City next week along with a few more comments and poetry.
The NYC Subways tried to be more consumer friendly over the years without a lot of practical success. Announcements are made every so often as to when the next train at any station will arrive, usually a few stops away - maybe. This week's cartoon is a reflection of this friendly attitude on the part of the MTA towards riders.
Peace until next week,
Bill Lagerstrom
